Device for milling gaps in piston rings



lApril 8, 1941. G. BRoUwER DEVICE FOR MILLING GAPS IN PISTON RINGS Filed Jan. 19, 1940 2 sheets-sheet 1 E33 23 m] s 5` @1 1. df al 2 v I O 5' 1 l 1 Il',

. l f I l H [l] n l/ u 11 pri 1941.

G. BROUWER 238.011

DEVICE FOR MILLING GAPS IN PISTON RINGS Filed Jan. 19, 1940 2 Smets-Sheet 2 ,Patented Apr. 8, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEVICE FOR MILLING GAPS IN PISTON RINGS George Brouwer, Muskegon, Mich., `assignor to National Piston Ring Mich., a corporation.

Company, Fruitport 2 Claims.

My invention relates to a device for milling gaps at one time in a plurality of piston rings.

Among the objects of my invention is t Drovide a device for angularly cutting gaps in a plurality of piston rings at one time, and such other objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and which are inherently possessed by my invention.

While I have shown in the accompanying drawings a preferred form of my invention, yet I desire it understood that the same is susceptible of modication and change without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my device; Fig. 2 is a perspective view, and Fig. 3 is a top plant view of my device; Fig. l is a side elevation of my -device with parts broken away showing the interior thereof; Fig. 5 is a detail View showing a ring with the gap being removed; Fig. 6 is a detail view of the ring ready for iinish turning.

The embodiment selected to illustrate my invention comprises a pair of spaced locating bars Ill attached to a frame Il which is attached to a base I2. The locating bars I Il extend rearwardly and are adapted to receive thereon a plurality of rings, which when placed on the bars lil form a tube I3. The tube I3 is held between a fixed front clamping member I4 and a rear movable clamping member I5. A pair of spaced tie rods i6 extend from the front clamping member I4 to which they are attached by bolts Il rearwardly through the rear clamping member I5 to a projection I3 of the work slide I3 to which they are attached. A pair of oppositely disposed saws 2 0 are each angularly mounted on an arbor 2l on the other ends of which is a fly wheel 22. A sleeve or quill 23 surrounds each arbor 2| and is adjustable longitudinally for the spacing of the saws 2t. It is locked in desired position by means of a lock nui-J 24. Each sleeve 23 passes through a head 25 which is mounted to an extension 23 attached to the base I2. The wheels 22 are moved by belts 2l attached to an electrical motor 28 or other source of power.

Each head 25 is adjustable angularly on bracket 23 having a slotted bolt hole 3U to receive stud 3l. An air cylinder 32 has a piston rod 33 which engages a cam 34 which bears against the rear portion of the rear clamping member I5 to hold the clamping member I5 against the tube I3. When the air cylinder 32 has released pressure, springs 35, which are attached on one end to the clamping member I5 and on the other end to the work slide I9, return the clamping member I5 to normal released position and permit tube I3 after gap 3B has been cut therein by the saws 23 to be dropped onto a V shaped section 31 of the base I2. The rings then pass downwardly out exit member 33. The air cylinder 32 is operate.r by mechanically driven valve means which is set as to time for the cutting operation by the cam.

The operation of the work slide I3 is as follows: A cam 34 mounted on the base I2 is operated by a motor 39. The cam 34 has a tortuous side channel or track 40 in which moves a roller 4I attached to an arm 42 which in turn is attached to the work slide I9. The work slide I9 slides on a track 43 formed in lthe base I2.

In the use of my device the operator takes a plurality of piston ring castings. These ring castings have a locating notch or projection Where the gap is to be cut. The rings are lined up on an automatic riiiler, bringing all the gap sections in line. The rings are then shoved on to a transfer bar to maintain the location of the projections. The rings are then transferred to the locating bars I0, the transfer bar being 1ocated by means of two notched portions 44 and 45 in the front and rear clamping members I4 and I5 respectively. The rings formed into tube I3 are held by the clamping members I4 and I5 upon the operation of air cylinder 32. With the tube I3 thus located into position an air valve actuates the large internal cam located at the base of the machine which moves a lever connected to the work carrier, making the carrier travel through the path of the saws and then returning the work carrier to starting position. However, before returning the work carrier to starting position, after the carrier has travelled through the work path the rotating cam operates a valve which ordinarily releases the air pressure of the rear clamping member so as to release the rings from clamped position. The rings ydrop through the carrier onto a V block and the work carrier returning to its starting position strips the rings oli the V block onto an exit means.

I'he gap in the rings is formed with an angular saw which is at right angles to the periphery of the rings. This permits a perfect closing of the rings on both the inside and the outside, which would not be true if the cut were a straight cut. Ordinarily in the past there have been several milling operations consisting generally of a primary straight cut and later angular cuts to obtain the proper closure. With my device l* in a single operation I can provide an angular cut for a plurality of rings which will provide a perfect closure for the rings.

A clutch 94 is mounted on the shaft 95 and is air operated through cylinder 46 in the air line 49. A cam 54 operates lever 55 against stretch spring 56 in connection with a rocker segment 5'! through link 58, .Opening and closing valve 53, through air line 49 to cylinder 46 and shaft 95 to open and close clutch 94. When the clutch 94 is closed a pin 5l) which is fastened to the face of the cam 34, and carried by the cam 34 opens a valve 5| operating the clamp cylinder 32 before the saws 20 cut into the tube I3. At the end of the cutting stroke stop or pin 6I engages an-d shuts off valve 5|, releasing the rings.

The rings when released automatically thread themselves on a rod 6'2 and are transferred manually to a stand rod 63 by raising the lever 64.

When the machine is stopped for loading, a valve 97 is operated manually by handle 98 to operate cylinder 46 to start clutch operation to commence the machine cycle.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. A device for milling gaps in piston rings comprising a base, a work carrier slidably mounted on sai-d base, a xed clamping member, a movable clamping member, a pair of spaced locater bars extending between said clamping members and adapted to receive a tube formed from a plurality of piston ring castings, means for moving the movable clamping member with relation to the tube, a pair of angularly inclined and oppositely disposed cutting members, said cutting members adjustable to a desired angle and spacing, means for sliding said work carrier with the tube between said cutting members for cutting an angular gap therein, and then releasing said tube from the device.

2. A device for milling gaps in piston rings comprising a base, a work carrier slidably mounted on said base, a pair of spaced locater bars to receive a tube formed of a plurality of piston ring castings, a front fixed clamping member adjacent the front of said locater bars, a movable rear clamping member adjacent the rear of said locater bars, means for moving the rear movable clamping member against the tube for holding the same in xed position, a pair of arbors having a fly wheel on their outer ends and angularly inclined and oppositely disposed saws on their inner ends, means for spacing the saws, means for adjusting the degree of angular ineline of the saws, means for moving the work carrier rearwardly so that the tube passes be# tween said saws and an angular gap is cut therein, means for releasing the rear movable clamping member from contact with said tube, a downwardly extending exit member, and means for moving said cut tube to said exit member so that the rings may fall into said exit member.

GEORGE BROUWER. 

